Improvement in combined fire and burglar-alarms



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

HENRY LEWIS BROWER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES D.FREDERICKS, OF SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINED FIRE AND BURGLAR-ALARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 118,191, dated August22, 1871.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY LEWIS BRowER, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have made an invention of a new and useful Combined Fireand Burglar-Alarm; and that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription and specification of the same.

The object of this invention is to combine a ire and burglar-alarm inone portable instrument, which can be placed in any part of a room,which does not require wires or other xed attachments, and which can beset up and moved about by the purchaser without requiring the servicesof an expert mechanic. To this end my invention consists of thecombination of the following devices, viz.: First, an alarm, having abell or other sound-generator and the requisite mechanism for strikingit or putting it inaction. Second, a detent for the striking oractuating mechanism, upon which detent a thread or its equivalent can bearranged to operate so that the detent is moved and the actuatingmechanism of the sound-generator is liberated when the thread isstrained by the entrance of a burglar through an aperture across whichthe thread is extended. Third, a thermometric indicator of temperature,connected with the detent of the striking` mechanism in such manner thatwhen the temperature rises to a predetermined degree of the thermometerthe movement of the indicator effects the liberation of the actuating`mechanism of the soundgenerator, and an alarm is sounded.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I have representedin the accompanying drawing, and will proceed to describe, an instrumentembodying my invention in the best form Awhich I have thus far produced.

In said drawing, Figiue 1 represents a front view ofthe instrument. Fig.2 represents a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 represents a view ofthe rear of the same. Fig. 4 represents a view of the mechanism in thebase of the instrument, with the casing removed.

The case A of the instrument, in this example, is composed mainly of twoparts, viz., the head a and the base cf, which are separated by legs b,so that the whole resembles a clock-case. The

thermometric indicator is placed in the head c of the case, and consistsof a bent band, C, of two metals of different expansive powers-as,

for example, copper and ironso that the said indicator changes its formwhen the temperature varies. The alarm mechanism is contained in thebase a of the instrument, an d consists in this example of a bell, D,and the striking mechanism E thereof, the latter being actuated by aspring, and operating upon the bell through a hammer, f, insubstantially the same manner as the striking mechanism of a commonalarm-clock. As the peculiarities of the actuating' mechanism are not aportion ofthe invention and the mechanism may be greatly varied, it isnot necessary to describe it more particularly. When the actuatingmechanism is woiuid up, by applying the hand to the handle g the hammeris prevented from operating upon the bell by means of a detent, h, whosehook-formed endimprisons the stem of the hammer. In order that thethread may be conveniently made to operate upon this detent a smallrock-shaft, j, is constructed to rock in a tubularbearing, 7s, securedto the casing. The inner end of this rock-shaft is fitted with an arm,l, which, when the shaft is rocked on its axis, raises the detent It andliberates the bellhammer. The outer end of the rock-shaft is fitted withan arm, l', which is perforated at its end to enable a thread to besecured to it, so that when said thread is pulled the shaft is rockedand the detent is liberated. In order that the instrument may operate asa fire-alarm the indicator of temperature is combined with the detent liby means of a rod, m, and a weight, G, which is liberated by themovement of the indicator. The weight G is constructed upon the arm of alever, H, which is fitted to turn upon a pivot, 'L'. The weight also hasa pin, e, projected from its face within the range of motion of the ends of the indicator C, which is slotted transversely to embrace said pin,so that the indicator may hold the weight om turning the lever until theindicator has moved a certain distance. TheY other arm of the lever Hhas a stud, a, projected from it to engage with the hook-formed end ofthe rod fm, which extends downward, through a tube, b2, into the basea', and through a slot in the detent.

rBhe lower end of this rod is tted with a nut which, when the rod isdrawn upward, bears upon the under side of the detent and raises it. Theindicator of temperature is made fast to a base-block, J, which isconstructed to slide up and down upon two guides, p10, with sufficientfriction to prevent it from moving accidentally. It is also fitted Witha rack, q, Whose teeth engage with those of a pinion, 1", mounted uponan arbor, and the rear end of the arbor is squared to receive a key bywhich the pinion may be turned. The base-block J of the indicator isconnected by a link, t, Fig. 2, with an arm, u, projecting from anarbor, w, to which a hand, I, is secured that traverses a dial, K, uponwhich the degrees of the thermometric scale are marked, so that the handis caused to point to a different degree according as the base-block israised or depressed; and the thermometric indicator is so adjusted that,When it is set by raising or lowering it, (by moving the pinion,) itWill change its form sufficiently to disen gage from the pin e of theWeight When the temperature is that indicated by the position of thehand I upon the dial K.

The operation of this part of the apparatus is as follows: Thethermometric indicator is set to operate at the predetermined degree oftemperature by turning the pinion-shaft, thereby raising or loweringthebase-block and indicator and moving the hand I until it points to thatdegree upon the dial, after Which the spring' of the actuating mechanismis Wound up. Whenever, then, the temperature reaches that thermometricdegree the slotted end of the indicator disengages from the pin e of theWeight, Which, being released, turns the leverH by gravitation. When thelever turns the stud a is brought into contact with the hook-formed endof the rod m, and, raising that rod, pulls up the detent h and liberatesthe hammer f, Which immediately strikes the bell, and continues tostrike it until the spring runs down.

The instrument may be set upon any article of furniture or upon theiioor. A thread, by preference of black silk, is tied into the eye ofthe lever Z', and is carried across every opening which is to beguarded, the thread being easily sustained in its position by sticking acommon pin slant- Wise into the casing at each side of said opening andits end being made fast to the last piu. If a person should attempt topass through an opening so guarded, the thread Will be strained, the arml of the rock-shaft and the rock-shaft Will be turned, the detent 7LWill be raised, and the alarm will immediately be sounded in the sameWay as if by a rise in temperature.

In order to prevent the rock-shaft j from being accidentally turned bythe weight of its arms a friction-spring, a', is applied to it. A guard,n', is also iitted to the stud n of the lever H to prevent theaccidental displacement of the end of the rod m. Y

In the instrument thus described the thread is described as connecteddirectly with the detent through the intervention of the rock-shaft andits arms; but the detent may be so constructed that the thread may beconnected directly with it, in which case the rock-shaft will not berequired.

In place of using a bell for the sound-generator, some other suitablesound-generator may be used.

I do not claim the peculiarities of construction of the thermometricindicator as my invention, but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

'lhe combination, in one portable instrument, of the sound-generatorwith its actuating mechanism, the detent constructed to be actuated by athread, and the thermometric indicator, substantially as before setforth, the Whole constituting a compound lire and burglar-alarm Vitnessmy hand this 19th day of November, A. D. 1870.

H. L. BROWER.

Witnesses R. S. VEnKs, L. D. FREDRroKs.

